After various sightings of the upcoming electric car, it looks like we might get the Kia EV4 in multiple body styles.
The upcoming Kia EV4 aims to cater to a wider range of potential customers by offering sedan and crossover / hatchback variants. It is not uncommon for carmakers to sell their popular product in different body types. Since we have not yet seen such a case in the EV world, the Korean car marque might be the first one to do it. After the resounding success of the EV6 and EV9, Kia is moving towards the relatively more affordable end of the spectrum. That is where EVs like the EV3 and EV4 become prominent. Let us check out the unique offering from Kia.
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Kia EV4 Sedan And Crossover
I had previously shared the instance of the Kia EV4 sedan being tested in its native market of South Korea. The video captured the heavily camouflaged EV on public roads. As per a report by The Korean Car Blog, this latest crossover / hatchback avatar of the affordable Kia electric car was seen testing near the Hyundai-Kia Technical Center in Germany.
The most intriguing aspect one could see in these spy images is the rear profile. The front section looks similar to the one I reported about a few days ago. However, after the C-pillar, things take a slightly more upright turn. This indicates a rather steep silhouette. Hence, it might well be a crossover / hatchback. The other components look similar to the sedan. Therefore, we can expect the Kia EV4 to bear both body designs, sedan and crossover / hatchback.
It will use the familiar E-GMP architecture from the Hyundai Motor Group. This underpins all the existing bespoke Hyundai and Kia EVs. Even though the exact details are not available, I expect it to come with two battery packs – 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh. These batteries offer range figures of 430 km (267 miles) and 599 km (372 miles), respectively, in the EV3. Additionally, the EV3 has 201 PS (150 kW) and 283 Nm (209 lb-ft) of maximum power and torque. Hence, we can anticipate something similar with the EV4 too. We will also get a GT iteration of the EV4 with a dual-motor AWD setup.
Talking about the launch and production, we will most likely see the Kia EV4 sedan and/or crossover / hatchback launch in 2025. Note that Kia completed the preparations to manufacture electric cars at its Gwangmyeong Plant 2 after taking 8 months for the conversion work. This facility will be able to churn out 150,000 EVs per year. This is the same factory which produced Pride and Stonic. Consequently, this will be the first dedicated EV manufacturing unit of Hyundai Motor Group in South Korea.
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Learn Electric Cars Says
Knowing that the Korean auto giant is planning effective and proven strategies to expand its footprint and entice more buyers is heartening. Offering two body types with the same model ensures low development costs. Furthermore, car companies are able to cater to different segments of customers with, essentially, the same car. I have yet to see this practice among other car marques just yet. This makes me excited and interested to see how the customers react to the upcoming EV.
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